All Questions
Tagged with characters fiction
219 questions
11
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Is it better to describe the main character's physical appearance early on in the story?
I'm writing a novel, and I just realized I don't describe be main character's appearance until Chapter 3 (each chapter is 1500~2000 words long and there are 25 chapters in total).
I do mention that ...
- 12.4k
11
votes
7
answers
967
views
How to show characters learning something in a non-boring way?
Okay so I want to write a fiction where a character is learning something, for example a language, such as Japanese. I want to show the entire process of learning the language with all the details ...
- 113
6
votes
9
answers
11k
views
Main male character description
I've been asked to write a story as an assignment. It should have as the main male character an unusually smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful guy who is somewhat reserved and mysterious. The ...
- 61
5
votes
4
answers
420
views
Methods for writing from an alternate gender/age/cultural viewpoint?
While many aspects of a culture, etc, can be researched - there are intrinsic difficulties to writing from the PoV of a woman as a male author and vice versa, and I'd argue even harder for an adult to ...
- 53
9
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Must protagonists be flawed for satisfying character evolution?
Many screenwriting theories hold that the protagonist should be flawed at the story's beginning and overcome this flaw by its end.
Now, there are stories where the protagonist is thrown out of a ...
user5645
-1
votes
1
answer
359
views
Hypothetical interview with Jesus Christ. Has to be deep? [closed]
I'm thinking on writing a short story of a non-religious person asking questions to an alternate version of Jesus. Do His answers must be of a deep meaning or could I just write anything as his word (...
- 1
4
votes
4
answers
786
views
Balancing character levity in a serious narrative
I am looking for examples of authors who manage to have sarcastic/funny characters exist in a very serious, end of the world type of scenario.
The issue I am trying to resolve is when I write ...
- 456
2
votes
0
answers
477
views
Where should I go with this short story? [closed]
I've been working on this piece for about a week in a creative writing workshop. We need to wrap up our current stories at a minimum of six pages to a maximum of eight pages. I've always had a tough ...
user6374
12
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Can I use real presidents (past and present) and real companies in a fictional story?
I'm not sure if I want to use real people and companies or make up an entirely different world with different people, presidents, and companies than our real world. If I did the latter I would offer ...
- 121
8
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Killing off a character: deciding if, when and how
Killing off a character is a serious issue. Secondary characters or even extras can pass away without too much negative response from the readers but main characters are a whole different matter.
It ...
- 343
6
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is it ok to be autobiographical with a main character?
This question really comes down to a personal issue I've had present in my fiction. I'm still very new as far as being a writer is concerned. So a few (if not all) of my main characters seem to be ...
- 173
3
votes
1
answer
424
views
Will 9/11 fiction get a writer into trouble with the US Government?
I want to write about the very interesting topic of 'what really happened' on 9/11. How close can I possibly get to real characters and facts without getting sued?
Facts I might include in my work:
...
user3533
7
votes
1
answer
9k
views
When to use the character's name and when to use she/he?
This is the first short story where I'm using actual names for the characters. Here is a sample:
"Sorry for the question," Jun said. "But why don' you have friends?"
Ling glanced at him, then ...
- 12.4k
10
votes
4
answers
850
views
Balancing loads of equally-important characters
If you have a dozen good guys, but four of them are the protagonists and the other six are more in the background, it's not that hard to skew the pagetime of each character towards those that are more ...
- 201
3
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Can a likeable character be unsympathetic?
I believe an unlikable character can be sympathetic, although that's tricky. But can you go the other way? Can your character be likable but at the same time unsympathetic? I've been trying and ...
- 3,199
16
votes
7
answers
12k
views
How often do writers develop characters before plot, and why?
As someone who writes a little as a hobby, this is something that I haven't really thought about until just recently, but...
Is it common for a writer to develop characters before actually coming up ...
- 307
8
votes
7
answers
3k
views
"multiple personalities" for character development in writing?
How can I train myself to think in "multiple personalities" so I can use these personalities for character development in writing?
- 183
24
votes
5
answers
13k
views
How to describe the point-of-view character without using mirrors
In fiction, the main character is often the first person we meet in the story. Given that the story is written from his/her point of view, how would you describe what they look like? The classical ...
- 960
22
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How do you make a character quintessential, but not cliched or cartoony?
I think it's hard to make a character standout and embody their traits without becoming cliched or cartoony. How do you do this? What are some tips to enlivening a character and making them memorable?
- 1,746